Syrian military says capital completely secure after ousting Daesh

Syrian army says it is in full control of the capital city and its outskirts after ousting terrorist members of Daesh Takfiri group by fully cleansing their last strongholds around Damascus.

Issuing a statement on Monday, the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces said complete security was restored to Damascus and its countryside after al-Hajar al-Aswad district and al-Yarmouk Camp were totally purged of terrorists. The development was preceded by cleansing Yelda, Babila and Beit Sehem districts in southern Damascus.

The Syrian army’s general command added that the new victory was particularly important, because it signified the total elimination of terrorist organizations around Damascus.

It added that the entire towns of Western and Eastern Ghouta are now completely clear of Takfiri terrorism.

Earlier in the day, Syrian Air Force military aircraft had struck militant fortifications in al-Hajar al-Aswad amid a collapse in terrorists’ ranks.

Infantry units stormed the building blocks in which terrorists had taken position, engaging in fierce exchanges of gunfire with the Takfiris and chasing them along narrow streets.

Syria’s state-run television network reported that the Syrian army resumed its offensive against Daesh militants south of Damascus following a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to allow women, children and old people leave.

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on May 10, 2018 shows a Syrian army infantry-fighting vehicle (IFV) advancing through a street in al-Hajar al-Aswad as Syrian forces push against Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the area on the southern outskirts of the capital Damascus. (Photo by AFP)

Also on Monday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Daesh Takfiri terrorists had evacuated their final stronghold in Syria’s capital.

“The evacuations are over after 32 buses took 1,600 people,” including Daesh terrorists and their relatives, “out of southern Damascus on Sunday and Monday,” the Britain-based monitoring group’s head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He added that Syrian troops and their allies then entered Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp for clean-up operations.

Abdel Rahman further noted that Daesh sleeper cells may remain in Yarmouk, though government soldiers will continue their military operations there until the area is declared secure.

Syrian army troops and pro-government fighters have been fighting since April 19 to recapture the area covering Yarmouk camp and the adjacent districts of Qadam, Tadamun and al-Hajar al-Aswad.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.

Syrian government forces are deployed at al-Qadam area near Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp south of Damascus on April 29, 2018. (Photo by Reuters)

The Syrian government, backed by Russian warplanes, has managed to liberate swathes of territory it lost following the outbreak of the crisis from the control of the terrorists.

Since February, the Syrian army, backed by Russia, has been engaged in a major push to rid Damascus and the surrounding areas of terrorist groups.

In a significant victory early last month, the Syrian army managed to fully liberate Eastern Ghouta, which had long been controlled by militant groups and served as a launch pad for deadly rocket attacks against residents and civilian infrastructure in the capital.